Podcast
Rapid Response
Hosted by WaitWhat · EN
The pace of change in our culture is unprecedented and shows no signs of slowing. So what is most important to pay attention to when striving to innovate, create, and lead? From the team behind Masters of Scale, Rapid Response features candid conversations with today's top business leaders navigating real-time challenges. Hosted by the former editor-in-chief of Fast Company, Bob Safian.
34episodes
Episodes
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U.S. Soccer CEO: The unseen stakes of this World Cup
Yesterday00:24:43Tap to summarizeThe World Cup arriving on American soil isn't just a moment. For U.S. Soccer Federation CEO JT Batson, it's a launchpad. Batson joins Rapid Response to reveal what’s on the line for the US men's team, where things stand with Coach Pochettino's future, and why this tournament is nothing like the last time America hosted in 1994. He also makes the case that winning a World Cup and growing a soccer nation are the same mission — and that the flywheel connecting pro leagues, youth development, national teams, and community access is finally starting to spin. Whether you've got World Cup fever or not, Batson's vision for building a winning culture from the ground up is a leadership story worth hearing.Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →World Cup kickoff: Goals, greed, and geopolitics, with ESPN’s Sam Borden
4d ago00:32:06Tap to summarizeAs the World Cup kicks off this Thursday, scrutiny surrounds ticket prices, disrupted fan travel, potential ICE activity, and FIFA’s murky dealings. ESPN Global Sports Correspondent Sam Borden has covered this tournament from Brazil to Qatar, and he joins Rapid Response to break down the USA's real chance, what Iran's presence on American soil actually means, and whether hosting the world's biggest sporting event is a blessing or a liability right now. Plus, Borden makes the most passionate case you'll hear for why the World Cup matters more than any scoreline.Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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Pioneers of AI: How fast can you upskill in AI? We did a sprint to find out.
1w ago00:34:06Tap to summarizeWe all feel the urgency: learn to use AI, or risk falling behind at work. And we all know there's an upside: AI can reduce tedious tasks, streamline operations, and boost output. But knowing is half the battle (maybe even less) and implementing AI needs to happen across an entire organization. So what does it take to start?Well, here at WaitWhat (the company behind this podcast!) we paused all operations for three days to find out. From editorial curation to visual design to event planning, we split into teams for an “AI Sprint.” And this Pioneers of AI episode takes you to the starting blocks on the track with us, as we test new tools, discover their limitations, and find where AI can deliver on its promise.Learn more about Pioneers of AI: http://pioneersof.ai/Follow Pioneers of AI on all channels: https://linktr.ee/pioneersofaiSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →A radical fix for the broken book business, with Madeline McIntosh
1w ago00:29:15Tap to summarizeThe book industry has a problem, and it isn't a lack of content. Madeline McIntosh spent decades navigating publishing's biggest upheavals, from the e-commerce revolution at Amazon to leading Penguin Random House as CEO. Now she's betting that the whole model needs to be rebuilt from scratch. She joins Rapid Response to explain why she walked away from one of the most powerful seats in publishing to co-found Authors Equity, and what a small startup can do that a global giant simply can't. McIntosh also takes on AI's limits as a creative force, explains why BookTok is rewriting the rules of the marketplace, and makes the case that in an age of scale, hyper-focus might be the most powerful competitive advantage of all.Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →The race no one can win: AI’s anti-human crisis, with Aza Raskin
2w ago00:39:27Tap to summarizeBig Tech is moving fast on AI. But who's watching out for the rest of us? Aza Raskin, co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology, has spent years sounding the alarm about where the race to build powerful AI is actually taking us. He joins Rapid Response to expose the incentive structures quietly pushing Silicon Valley toward dangerous territory, and to make the case that it's not too late to change course. Raskin also unpacks the significance of Pope Leo XIV's sweeping new encyclical on AI, what China's AI priorities reveal about the global race, and why the hidden assumptions baked into AI systems may be the most underestimated risk of all.Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →AI warfare and the race for a million-drone army, with Shield AI’s Brandon Tseng
2w ago00:27:36Tap to summarizeFrom Ukraine to the Middle East, Shield AI's autonomous drones are deployed on the frontlines. Co-founder and President Brandon Tseng joins Rapid Response to take us inside the defense tech explosion and the fierce debate over AI in modern warfare. Tseng also confronts the hard questions: how seriously should we take China's military advances, can we trust the US and its allies to wield AI responsibly, and what does it say about entrepreneurship that this former Navy SEAL finds building a company every bit as grueling as combat?Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →Why success destroys the companies we love, with Eric Ries
3w ago00:48:23Tap to summarizeWhat if the way we think about business value, trust, and capitalism itself is fundamentally broken? Eric Ries’ The Lean Startup changed how a generation of entrepreneurs build companies. Now, Ries takes aim at some of the most sacred business assumptions today in his new book, Incorruptible. Ries joins Rapid Response to share what he witnessed firsthand in the clash between Anthropic and the US government, and why he believes the current system is failing the very people it's supposed to serve. He also brings in-the-trenches stories from Cloudflare, Novo Nordisk, and Whole Foods to make the case that courage, not capital, may be the most undervalued asset in business right now.Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →Uber's swerve on gas prices, hotels, and a driverless future, with Andrew Macdonald
3w ago00:33:58Summary readyFew companies are a stronger barometer of the American economy today than Uber, and few executives have a clearer view of what's coming than President and COO Andrew Macdonald. He joins Rapid Response to share what Uber's real-time data reveals about consumer behavior amid surging gas prices, and what the company's rapid expansion into hotels and hospitality really signals about its ambitions. Macdonald also confronts the uncomfortable question at the heart of Uber's autonomous vehicle push: what does the company actually owe its millions of drivers? Plus, why the rising cost of AI isn't just a tech-sector problem, and what it means for businesses of every size trying to keep up.Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
SummaryThe “invisible army” behind Amazon’s robotaxi revolution, with Zoox’s Aicha Evans
4w ago00:27:34Tap to summarizeRobotaxis are multiplying across American cities… But are consumers actually ready to trust them? Zoox CEO Aicha Evans joins Rapid Response to talk about the company’s strategy as an Amazon subsidiary, its intensifying rivalry with Waymo, and why a new partnership with Uber could be the key to getting autonomous rides from novelty to scale. Evans also reveals why she recruits what she calls an “invisible army of rebels” inside Zoox, and what Marie Curie and Nelson Mandela have to do with leading through uncertainty.Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →A canceled commencement speech, and leading as an outspoken CEO
4w ago00:28:41Tap to summarizeOscar-nominated producer and Arcellx CEO Rami Elghandour was supposed to deliver an address to Rutgers University engineering graduates this week. But days before the ceremony, the school canceled his appearance after student objections to his social media posts around Palestine. Elghandour joins Rapid Response to speak out about free speech on campus, the personal cost of conviction, and what it really means to lead with your values when you run a public company. He also opens up about why the recent $8 billion acquisition of Arcellx by Gilead Sciences left him surprisingly cold, and his case for kindness and empathy as a competitive advantage — despite what Elon Musk says.Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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